Our Business
Several people wanted to know more about our business. Let's just say, it's not in it's final form yet, and we're excited to see where it will eventually end up! But we're thrilled with the fact that it's becoming productive for us!
When I quit my away-from-home job at the end of last year, we didn't know how God would provide the money to start the home business we dreamed of having. We had no start-up capital at all, and are committed to not taking on any more debt. So we started "scheming", and decided to try to find some bargains to sell on Ebay for start-up money. After a few weeks of garage-sale hunting and trying to sell our finds, we realized that this was a very hit-and-miss endeavor. We sold some items for quite a profit, but our good fortune was essentially canceled out by all the not-so-great deals we ended up with. Plus, we were spending a lot of time to find just a few items to sell. I think some people have been successful selling used collectibles and things, but Micah and I don't know nearly enough about which items will be losers and which will be winners. You have to have an eye for it, I guess!
I was discouraged, and wanted to give up on Ebay, but Micah decided that we should try selling new items rather than used. I was rather skeptical, to say the least! But my smart hubby obtained a business tax ID for us and did his market research to find some good products and product distributors we could work with. (The companies he found provide direct-shipping to our customers, so that we don't have to keep very much inventory. So we were able to start with almost no money--we purchase most items as customers order them--and build our capital through our sales.)
I wish I could tell you which companies we are working with, but Micah took great care to find some market areas that weren't overly saturated. He did a fantastic job selecting our distributors! They have been wonderful about shipping out items quickly, and have given us excellent customer service. In return, we receive positive customer feedback:o)
There are a lot of "scammy" type drop-shipping companies out there selling junk from overseas, but then there are reputable distributors of quality goods who just "happen" to offer drop-shipping as one of their services. These are the ones to look for!
We are still in the process of deciding what to do with the capital we are earning. Right now, as much as possible, we are trying not to draw out our profits. We plan to re-invest as much of it as we can to hone and grow our business. We want to take it slow and steady. No debt at all! Eventually, we hope to start a website and all of that good stuff, and try to focus on one niche market. We would like to be able to stock our own inventory and arrange for our own shipping, so that we can be in control of those aspects of customer service. We'll see what God has in store.
Right now, I'm just SO happy to be making money from home! I find so much CONTENTMENT here, which the office never afforded. And I'm thankful for Micah, who worked hard to set up this income-producing project for us. Maybe, someday, we will actually be able to get out of debt completely! It seems like a far-off dream, but so did making money from home just six months ago! God is certainly good to us.
When I quit my away-from-home job at the end of last year, we didn't know how God would provide the money to start the home business we dreamed of having. We had no start-up capital at all, and are committed to not taking on any more debt. So we started "scheming", and decided to try to find some bargains to sell on Ebay for start-up money. After a few weeks of garage-sale hunting and trying to sell our finds, we realized that this was a very hit-and-miss endeavor. We sold some items for quite a profit, but our good fortune was essentially canceled out by all the not-so-great deals we ended up with. Plus, we were spending a lot of time to find just a few items to sell. I think some people have been successful selling used collectibles and things, but Micah and I don't know nearly enough about which items will be losers and which will be winners. You have to have an eye for it, I guess!
I was discouraged, and wanted to give up on Ebay, but Micah decided that we should try selling new items rather than used. I was rather skeptical, to say the least! But my smart hubby obtained a business tax ID for us and did his market research to find some good products and product distributors we could work with. (The companies he found provide direct-shipping to our customers, so that we don't have to keep very much inventory. So we were able to start with almost no money--we purchase most items as customers order them--and build our capital through our sales.)
I wish I could tell you which companies we are working with, but Micah took great care to find some market areas that weren't overly saturated. He did a fantastic job selecting our distributors! They have been wonderful about shipping out items quickly, and have given us excellent customer service. In return, we receive positive customer feedback:o)
There are a lot of "scammy" type drop-shipping companies out there selling junk from overseas, but then there are reputable distributors of quality goods who just "happen" to offer drop-shipping as one of their services. These are the ones to look for!
We are still in the process of deciding what to do with the capital we are earning. Right now, as much as possible, we are trying not to draw out our profits. We plan to re-invest as much of it as we can to hone and grow our business. We want to take it slow and steady. No debt at all! Eventually, we hope to start a website and all of that good stuff, and try to focus on one niche market. We would like to be able to stock our own inventory and arrange for our own shipping, so that we can be in control of those aspects of customer service. We'll see what God has in store.
Right now, I'm just SO happy to be making money from home! I find so much CONTENTMENT here, which the office never afforded. And I'm thankful for Micah, who worked hard to set up this income-producing project for us. Maybe, someday, we will actually be able to get out of debt completely! It seems like a far-off dream, but so did making money from home just six months ago! God is certainly good to us.
posted by Erin | 12:26 AM
5 Comments:
Thanks so much for sharing! That is so cool and I am so excited for you all!
Oh and I forgot to ask, do you have an eBay store? Our store has done so well and it is so simple because it runs itself. All I do is ship out the orders and collect the money. :) Plus many of these people are introduced to our site and books for the first time through eBay and then they become loyal customers. Some of my blog readers first found us on eBay. eBay is a great place to start and to build up a reputation and customer base.
Thanks for sharing a little more about your business, Erin. Even without knowing the specific details, it's a blessing for me to hear that creativity goes a long way--maybe even more so than a pile of start-up money!
Crystal, we don't have an Ebay store right now, but we will keep that in mind! Thanks for the helpful info:o)
Emily, I'm glad:o)
My wife has been reading your blog and told me about it because for the last several months I've been wanting to start up a drop-ship type business. How did you husband do the market research? Was it through the World Wide Brands research products (the Ebay guy) or did he do it on his own? Was the tax I.D. stuff difficult to do? And if you have more than one e-store do you need one (tax i.d.) for each one. Sorry to ask so many questions, but I need to take to first steps soon.
Thank you for your help,
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